Road-cart



(No Model.)

O. L. BARRETT.

ROAD CART. No. 375,979. Patented Jan. 3, 1888.

v llll|||||||l|||||| v IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 7 WWW Gite-nu 01 "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES LhBARRETT, OF ALLEGAN, MICHIGAN.

ROAD- CART.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 375,979, dated January 3, 1888.

Application filed Septembtr 12, 1857. Serial No. 249,456. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES L. BARRETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Allegan, in the county of Allegan and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Road-Carts, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to certain novel improvements in twowheel vehicles knownas roadcarts, and it consists in thedevices which will be fully understood from the following description, takenin connection with the annexed drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating my improvements, the thills and wheels being omitted. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section through the axle, showing the boxing at one end and the clip and spring-pintle. Fig. 3 is a sectional view in detail of the front portion of the seat standard, the adj ustable loop, and c the upper ends ofa compound spring.

Referring to the drawings by letters, A designates the seat of the improved vehicle, which is mounted upon and rigidly secured to the upper ends of two-strap-metal standards, B B. The rear limbs of these standards are curved backwardly and the front limbs are straight and are integral with horizontal longitudinal portions a a. Thus it will be seen that each standard is of a U shape. The front vertical or straight portions, a, of the standards are perforated, for a purpose hereinafter explained.

O designates a semi-elliptic spring arched upwardly and made of one or more leaves. To.

this spring the horizontal portions a of the seat-standards are rigidly riveted, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The ends of the major portion of this spring 0 are suitably pivoted at b b to the pintles c c of links d d, which are pivoted to pintles e 6, attached in asuitable manner to the ears of clipsD D. These clips observed that the seat A is mounted on a It will thus be spring arranged below the axle, and that the spring is suspended from the axle in such a manner that while it is free to vibrate endwise to prevent lateral shocks and concussions,the axle itself is free to oscillate in its clips or suspenders, so as toconl'orm to the motions of the animal without transmitting unduejar to the seat and rider.

G designates the foot-rest of the vehicle, which consists of narrow longitudinal strips g g, secured to the spring 0 at or near its front edge, and provided at their front ends with eyes 9 9 and connected together by foot-slats g, rigidly secured to them.

J J are springs, which, as represented in Figs. 1 and 2, are composed of wires forming compound springs. These springs are rigidly secured to the strips '99 of the foot rest G by clips 72, coiled at z, and extended upward and curved at thei r upper ends,as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Near the upper ends of the outwardly-extended arms of these springs J J they pass through buckles N N, which are provided with screw or pin fastenings p, (shown in Fig.-8,) that pass through the perforations in the upright portions of the seatstandards and allow the buckles to be adjusted higher or lower, as may be required,-to regulate the tension of the springs J J and the said standards, and, acting through these standards, on their bearings upon the spring 0, which latter is hung from the axle.

It will be observed by reference to Fig. 3 that when there is little or no pressure of the springs J against the standards only one wire of each spring will be brought into action. Now,as the pressure and motion increase,other wires are brought into play. By this arrange o ment of the spring-wires I compensate for re sistance, as the springs J act with greater or less force, according as the resistance increases or diminishes.

In lieu of the compound springs it is obvi- 5 ous that fiat springs may be substituted; but I prefer the compound springs with intermediate coils.

The front ends of the foot-rest may be at tached in the usual or any suitable manner to 100 the thills, and the rear ends of the thills may be attached in any suitable manner to the axle.

Now it will be seen from the above that I support the seat upon the spring 0, depending from the axle, which is allowed to freely oscillate; also, that thejerking movements of the animal are fully compensated for by the use of the springs G, the tension of which can be regulated by adjusting the buckles, as described.

Having thus tully described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination, in a road-cart, of ascat mounted upon standards secured to a spring suspended from an axle by clips, with a footrest hinged to said spring and provided with one or more springs attached to the seat-stand ards, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a hinged foot-rest, the springs thereof and buckles adjustably attached to the seat-standards and receiving freely through them the said springs, whereby the tension thereof can be adjusted, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a road-cart, of a hinged foot-rest, tension-springs therefor, and a device for regulating the tension of the springs, the latter being attached to seat-standards which are mounted upon springs suspended from an axle, substantially as described.

4. The combination of compound compensating springs composed of independent wires with the seatstandards and foot-rest of a vehicle, substantially as described.

5. The combination, in a two-wheeled vehicle, of the axle provided with a cylindrical portion near each of its ends, the spring 0,

hung beneath and in line with the axle, the clips pivotally connected to the ends of the said spring G and embracing the cylindrical portions upon the axle, whereby the said spring is loosely hung to the said axle, the standards attached to the spring 0, and the seat secured upon the standards, substantially as described.

6. In a two wheel vehicle, the combination of the upright spring-standards, a seat rigidly secured to the upper ends thereof, an arched spring, C, arranged beneath the axle and in line therewith and having the said spring-standards rigidly secured to it, spring clips loosely applied on cylindrical portions of the axle, and links suspended from the clips and having the ends of the spring 0 pivotally connected to them, substantially as described.

7. The combination of the seat, the U- shaped spring-standards, the spring 0, arranged beneath the axle and suspended from it by clips which will allow it to oscillate freely, a foot-rest hinged to spring 0, and springs connecting the foot-rest to the said spring-standards, substantially as described.

8. The combination of a transverse spring, 0, suspended by oscillating clips and laterallyvibrating links from cylindrical enlargements on the axle, and U-shaped spring-standards mounted on said spring, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES L. BARRETT.

\Vituesses:

DAVID STOCKDALE, \VILLIAM O. \VALTER. 

